SilkAir signs $1 billion CFM LEAP-1B engine support agreement

November 10, 2017

Supports entire LEAP-1B fleet

First aircraft entered service on 5 October 2017

SilkAir has signed a 15-year Rate Per Flight Hour (RPFH) maintenance agreement with CFM International to support the LEAP-1B engines that will power its new fleet of 37 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. The agreement is valued at $1 billion U.S. at list price and includes a total of 80 engines.

SilkAir, which is the regional wing of Singapore Airlines, took delivery of its first Boeing 737 MAX 8 airplane on 27 September 2017. Operations with the MAX aircraft began on 5 October 2017 with the first flight travelling to Penang, Malaysia. Deliveries of the remaining aircraft are scheduled through 2024.

Rate per Flight Hour agreements are part of CFM's portfolio of flexible aftermarket support offerings. Under the terms of the agreement, CFM guarantees maintenance costs for all SilkAir's LEAP-1B engines on a dollar per engine flight hour basis.

Based in Singapore, SilkAir currently operates a fleet of 17 CFM56-7B-powered Boeing Next-Generation 737 aircraft.

"SilkAir has outstanding reputation for the young age and technical excellence of its fleet," said Gaël Méheust, president and CEO of CFM International. "We are honored to be an even bigger part of that team and look forward to helping them maintain that reputation."